Germany celebrates the fall of the Berlin Wall

More than 100,000 people celebrated the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall on Monday evening, as world leaders gathered in the German capital for emotional commemorations marking the spread of freedom across Europe.

Chancellor Angela Merkel joined luminaries past and present to remember when communist East German finally opened the despised concrete barrier on November 9, 1989.

Merkel, who grew up in the East, marched through the historic Brandenburg Gate with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, French President Nicolas Sarkozy, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and representatives from across the European Union.

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Where's Obama???????

Mr Obama is to busy to allow himself to come to Germany to celebrate the falling of the Wall! In all actuality he is probably looking for an excuse for the police shooting that poor Major at Ft. Hood, Tx.; but then we shouldn't jump to conclusions... like the Cambridge Police did!

For those interested, there is a good audio doc podcast on RTE about the Irish diaspora in Berlin during the fall of the Wall:
http://www.rte.ie/radio1/doconone/pieces_of_the_wall.html

Dear Germans
Please accept us too! We want to integrate and we are...the question is, DO YOU WANT TO?

It's just like Russia to blame everybody else for their inability to join European integration.

Well, German unification was associated with emotion, a crave for free world for the easterners and glorified feeling of westerners in liberating their eastern broghters. However, Germans are basically not an emotional race. This could be seed of disillusionment.

Truly a special and worthy celebration. Question I have is why current President of Poland's was not invited considering those who were in attendance - Russia's President, Britain's PM, President of France? Lech Walesa is the former President of Poland, who at least in Poland is no longer held in high regard due to his questionable past and unexplained (by him) allegations of him being a secret police confidant.

Hard to believe, 20 years later and the so-called reunification tax which was to be just temporary still exists!

You Germans should be ashamed of yourselves. Ronald Reagan did more to cause that wall to come down than anyone else. Why was Gorbachov so prominent in being recognized, and not Reagan??? None of this will be forgotten when you next need the USA to bail you out. Next time, we will let the Russians have you. See how you like it then.

Just don't understand innoble comments from some of you on a great occasion like this. Geez!!!!! This is a time to again congratulate the German people. Response to some ot the avove.
1) Pres. Obama beamed a great response. When he did visit Berlin two years ago, the comments from the right wing crazies in the U.S. were shameful and they make them daily. He is right to be with his nation at a time like this and "Soonerdiver", don't you dare blemish the soldiers of the U.S. military with nonsense and cras comment you made you x#&******. That situation is none of your business!!!!
2) The German people have nothing to be ashamed of "masbrando" and everything to be proud of. Sure Pres Reagan contributed to German unification but it took the guts, courage and strength of Pres George Bush Sr. who overrode the objections of the French and British. Germany is a NATO ally and the U.S. is still committed to the agreements outlined in our alliance. That Russian comment was irresponsible and reprehensible.

It was Tres Cool.

Shot this right behind the Reichstag as the Dominos fell towards the Brandenburg Tor:

http://vimeo.com/7526310

U.S. - German relations apparently at an all time low. We sent Hillary and *gulp* Bon Jovi.

On 0:48 of the video, someone appears to call you a "fieser Typ", which can approximately be translated as "nasty piece of work" or "arsehole".

thanks for that NycLabrets. Watching last night I was quite moved - remembered watching live in college at midnight on 9th November in 1989 with this huge sense of relief that the Cold War was ending without a shot being fired.